1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to information processing apparatuses, imaging devices, information processing methods, and computer programs. More specifically, the present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an imaging device, an information processing method, and a computer program that allow selection of representative pictures from captured moving-picture data and display of an array of the selected representative pictures, such as a film-roll display.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a known method of presenting the content of a moving picture captured by a video camera to a user in a readily recognizable manner, frame pictures are selected from the moving picture, for example, at constant intervals, and the frame pictures are arranged in a temporal order so that the frame pictures are displayed like a film roll (hereinafter referred to as a “film-roll display”).
With the film-roll display, the user can recognize the content of the moving picture without playing back the moving picture. For example, by displaying a list of frame pictures selected from various moving-picture data files captured in the past, the user can efficiently check captured pictures. Also, it is possible to display representative pictures selected from picture data that is being played back, as a film-roll display in a lower part of the screen, the representative pictures being displayed as superposed on the picture that is being played back, so that the user can select a still picture in the film-roll display to specify a playback position. In an ordinary film-roll display, an array of thumbnail pictures (reduced pictures) is displayed. Such a method of displaying pictures is described, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2-32473.
However, particularly in devices having only small screens, such as video cameras or digital cameras, it is not possible to display an array of a sufficient number of pictures. Thus, the number of pictures displayed in a film-roll display is small, so that it is often difficult for the user to grasp the entirety of a moving picture. Also, when representative still pictures are displayed as a film-roll display as superposed on a moving picture that is being played back, as the length of the recorded moving picture becomes longer, it becomes more difficult to display an array of suitable representative pictures. Thus, it becomes difficult for the user to select a suitable playback position.